Different Types of Injuries
The large part of a personal injury claim is decided upon something called pain and suffering damages. Pain and suffering is a type of noneconomic damages, meaning that this is more of a subjective type of damage. Determining pain and suffering can be very difficult. This is why it is important to hire an experienced attorney who can evaluate all of your injuries.
Types of Injuries
There are two main categories of injuries that play a role in your claim and possible settlement:
Soft tissue injuries: usually the discomfort described by the patient, and
“Hard“ injuries: injuries that can be detected through medical examination.
Soft Tissue Injuries
The easiest way to understand soft tissue injuries is to look at the strains or sprains of your ligaments or muscles. A sprained back, knee, neck or ankle are referred to as soft tissue injuries because they are only involves in muscles and other soft connective tissue. Regardless of how painful it is, these types of injuries are usually not permanent or dangerous.
“Hard” Injuries
These injuries are considered to be more dangerous than soft tissue injuries. Statistically, your settlement award will be much higher if you have “hard“ injuries than soft tissue injuries. Usually, a thorough medical examination, such as, x-rays, MRIs or other tests will describe your injury as something other than a strain or sprain. Example of “hard” injuries that you may think would not be considered “hard” injuries are injuries such as pinched nerve and joint separation. Other categories of “hard“ injuries are: broken bones, head injuries, dislocations, wounds and spinal/vertebrae injuries. Any of these types of injuries will likely make your settlement award go much higher. It is also common to develop injuries that will require healing far after your settlement has been awarded. That is why it is important consult with your doctor and have them explain whether or not future pain will result from the injuries sustained from your car accident, slip-and-fall and other personal injuries.
Conclusion
As you can see, it can be very hard to determine the extent of your injuries because of the many factors that go into it. It is more than just an “injury.“ There are multitude of ways to classify your injuries and it is important to speak to an experienced attorney who will understand your injuries, which will in turn, help you get the settlement award you deserve. Contact our attorney today to discuss your injuries!
COVID-19 and Personal Injury
With the rise of the coronavirus once again, the Tampa Bay Area is seeing serious, record-breaking new daily cases. According to the Tampa Bay Times, on Tuesday, June 30th, the Tampa Bay Area has recorded 958 additional cases, which is about 16 percent of the state total reported for that day. These are outstanding numbers, considering Florida’s coronavirus statistics were looking positive just a few weeks ago.
You may be wondering about the legal consequences of getting someone sick if you have the coronavirus, or you may be wondering if you are entitled to damages if you believe someone gave you the coronavirus. It may not be as simple as filing suit against a person with the coronavirus that you think may have given you the coronavirus.
There are many hurdles in a personal injury suit that factor in for your chances of either getting sued, or recovering damages. Most personal injury claims are based on a theory called negligence, meaning that the potential defendant had a duty and that they breached that duty and that the breach was the cause to the eventual damages. Unlike a car accident claim or slip-and-fall, it may be hard to establish causation, or connectivity between the misconduct (giving someone the coronavirus) and the plaintiff’s harm (contracting the coronavirus). Fear of contracting the virus from someone who has the coronavirus is not enough to justify a personal injury claim. Establishing liability would mean that the person who has the coronavirus passed the virus onto you. With coronavirus on the rise in the Tampa Bay Area, it is nearly impossible to determine who has actually passed the virus on to someone else.
If you believe that you may have a personal injury claim because of the coronavirus, reach out to us at (813)-540-4615. You may also click this link to submit an inquiry!
Importance of Hiring an Attorney
Getting into an auto accident, or slipping at a grocery store or getting injured from a faulty product, can be damaging to your physical and mental well-being. It is not too often you will be able to walk away from a auto collision and not think about the incident for some time. Everything and anything can cross your mind after an auto collision. It can be your injuries, your passengers injuries (if any), the damage to your car, the doctor’s appointments, the time needed to take off work, possibility of hiring help around the house, medical bills, and last, but certainly not least, the actual claim and the claim process.
Hiring an attorney is something that can ease your mind when handling an auto accident claim. While you focus on getting your post-collision life on track, an attorney can handle the legal side for you. To make it even easier, your attorney can find you the best medical teams in your area and can find a rental car for you. Attorneys are always there to assist you and a good attorney will give you his direct phone line so you can call him or her whenever is convenient for you.
Finding the right attorney is essential to helping you get your life on track after an auto accident. That is why you should call Jalo Law at 813-540-4615 to get a free case evaluation and have the attorney work on the claims process while you worry about your recovery.
Quick Tips if You've Been Involved in a Car Accident
Jalo Law is a personal injury law firm serving the Tampa Bay Area. Being involved in a car accident is a frightening time. It is important to remain calm and think clearly after an accident. This post is to serve as a guide for you whenever you need it.
Safety First
Remain calm.
If the accident is minor, move all involved vehicles to the side of the road.
Call for Help
If you or anyone else is severely injured, call for an ambulance.
Call 911. A police report is useful for numerous reasons, especially to establish who is at fault. Especially call for police if a serious injury and/or death has occurred.
Gather Information
Names and information of everyone involved. Get their names, phone numbers, addresses, drivers’ license numbers, license plate numbers, and basic insurance information.
Eyewitness information. Ask the witnesses about what they saw, or heard, or even smelled. This will be important later on. Get their names, phone numbers, and addresses.
Take Photos - Obtaining photos is crucial in establishing proof.
Photograph the vehicles involved.
Photograph the accident scene.
If possible, photograph your injuries.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, give us a call at 813-540-4615 to discuss your claim!
What is PIP Insurance and How Does it Work
The State of Florida is considered a no-fault law state when it comes automobile insurance. The basic principle behind no-fault laws is that instead of suing the at-fault party right away for the automobile collision, the injured party is assured a “swift and virtually automatic” payment of his or her medical payments and lost income by his own insurer. This is commonly referred to “Personal Injury Protection” of PIP insurance.
The language of statute, Fla. Stat. § 627.736(1), requires PIP benefits for any “loss sustained… as a result of bodily injury… or death arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of motor vehicle.” In Florida, only 80% of your medical costs/bills will be covered by PIP. You get $10,000 access to PIP if you cross the injury threshold. The injuries must be considered an emergency. Injuries that are considered an “emergency“ include severe bodily disfigurement and/or permanent injury or injuries that result in death. If you do not cross that threshold, you are entitled $2,500 worth of benefits, instead of the $10,000. It is important to understand the severity of your injuries from an auto accident in order to determine what PIP benefits you are entitled to.
Call us at 813-540-4615 today to value your injuries!